Week Ten | Nelson

Sorry the image looks weird...I made a "collage" of 2 print screens to better show the diverse use of the grid.

1) For the online magazine, Salon, there is clearly a grid system in place. From one end of the screen to the other, there appears to be an 8 grid sysetem in place, utilized differently as one scrolls down the page. On the opening screen right when it first loads, we see the 3D movie taking up 2 columns, with smaller columns for less important stories right next to it, showing the next 2 columns. These two smaller grids also have another 2 column section next to it showing an ad and another little sidebar of news, which creates a symmetry.Scrolling down just a little bit farther, we see all 4 column being utilized for smaller headlines, and under the 2 grids to the right under the ad, some white space is left. Just one little scroll farther, and we see a 4 column wide spread and a 2 colum set up right next to it. On either side of the actual articles, there is one column of just blank space, so the whole site isn't filled with text. Also, it's clear when they decide to do a larger section of columns for their stories, they keep it as an even number width. They use their boundaries well to create for a simple, diverse format that keeps the eye moving.

2) As we discussed in class, it's important to keep the eye moving. This format I feel helps with readability and keeping the viewer engaged. There isn't pictures and text everywhere, but a very organized and clean format. Since it changes as we move further down the page, we can easily separate the different stories and not strain our eyes with an overload of text and pictures, trying to decide what we actually want to read.

3) The site is clearly very structured and organized, and though I don't look at it very often, it seems like they probably change the layout often to make for a more interesting read, manipulating the number of columns used for a story. It engages the reader because in many websites there's texts and pictures everywhere, lots of ads, and not enough white space. This is very clean and interesting, with lots of variation in the grid system to keep the viewer scrolling on to at least glance at the different articles they can choose from.

4) I don't feel there is any tension. Everything transitions well into the next section of articles, and they're all clearly separated and spaced. They make good use of the grid and the divisions they create with white space, pictures and articles.

week 10 | Wu

1. Discuss the grid system in place. How well do the designs work within the boundaries, or even by breaking boundaries of the grid?

In general, the website has 4 columns. The navigation bar takes one column, the story section takes 2 columns, the side bar break the boundary, since it is more than one column wide but smaller than 2. The design within the boundaries lead the readers well to different sections and stories. The side bar bigger than one column attracts attention.
2. How does the grid in your example aid the reader or user?

The navigation bar is efficiently used, it is simple, clear. It leads reader to read the stories section, since it is dominant. The stories section is easy to follow. The side bars attract people attention.
3. Does it engage them with its structure or lack thereof?

It engage readers well, as I discussed above.
4. Does it cause tension, either positive or negative?

It causes tension in a way that it is overwhelmed with information. At the same time, it is well organized. Therefore, it is readable.

Week 10: Nadell

1. The gird system of this Daily Orange page is pretty simply. Basically it is broken into a grid of three by three, with the middle three horizontal boxes being a little bit shorter than the others. The boundaries of the grid are not really broken but the design works very well within the boundaries. The three by three grid makes the concept of the page very neat and easy to follow.
2. The grid aids the reader since the boxes within the grid are very large and a pattern is made within the grid. The boxes alternate between pictures and text which makes it easier for the reader. The gird breaks down the whole page into nine simple parts, only four of which are copy.
3. This three by three grid definitely aids the reader with structure since none of the boundaries are broken.
4. I don't think any tension is cause with this grid. This grid is pretty basic and works perfectly for the purpose of this page, which talks about the four teams, each aided with a picture.

Week 9: Wolk

For my logo, I wanted to appear modern but sophisticated, and to stand out from the rest of the crowd. It was difficult to figure out how to manipulate my initials, because a V and a W next to each other automatically resemble the Volkswagon logo. When I came up with this design, I thought it was simple enough for my taste, but the colors made it stand out. Green is one of my favorite colors, and this particular shade of green is one that you don't often see. I used a gradient on my business card because it leads the eye down the card to the darker color. I thought that the green dots on the bottom helped anchor the logo, and I also used dots on my resume. The font is easy enough to read, even when it's small, but is still interesting,

Week Nine: Reiter

Design Strategy: When thinking up this logo I decided to brainstorm things that I liked and that I associated myself with. After drawing many different penguins (my favorite animal) and variations of D and R together I finally formed on the D and R together as I have them in my logo.

Only then did I think of forming a mountain with their tails. I am from Colorado and have lived there my entire life so the mountains are something I see everyday and even tell my direction off of. After coming to New York for college it was odd not to have mountains in the distance. Also, every summer I go to Big Sky, Montana, a very small town with one huge mountain called Lone Peak. Both these personal connections to the mountains play a large role in my logo.

Choice of Typefaces: I chose Immi Five o Five Std for my name because I thought it was a really different, casual typeface. I made the rest of my type Mendoza Roman Std because it was easier to read my contact information and also helped differentiate my name from the rest of the stationary text. I decided to make put some text in purple because I thought it really livened up the pieces. I have always viewed purple as a very calm and majestic color so I thought it fit my logo well; professional but catching. The purple I used was C=76, M=86, Y=0, K=0.

Visuals: I created the entire design in Illustrator with the charcoal pen tool. Although at first I was wary because I feel the charcoal pen is used often, I thought it really looked rustic and natural. They really conveyed mountains to me. I added the birds because I wanted the logo to be playful. I am not a very serious person, and although I want to seem professional, I want the more fun side of me to be apparent. I also really tried to form repetition with the tail of the D and the tail of the R. I realized early on that they both have similar holes in their uppercase letters so I decided to use those instead of lowercase letters. I wanted to keep the visuals simple, yet not too boring. For the bird on the stationary I used the same purple as describe under typefaces, however I gave it opacity of 5%.

WEEK 10 | Lupton "Grid" Response

Lupton's last chapter in "Thinking With Type" describes grids and their importance to all forms of graphic design, both print and web based.

"For graphic designers, grids are carefully honed intellectual devices, infused with ideology and ambition, and they are the inescapable mesh that filters at some level of resolution, nearly every system of writing and reproduction." (113)

Grids are essential for guiding design - whether ordering items, or breaking the order. Magazines and newspapers exist on grid systems in order to create consistent environments that are functional and reproducible.

Food for thought: can breaking the grid also create a sense of order since breaking a grid will still be done in predictable ways?

Lupton also write about the power of grids in magazine and print design and the evolution of the grid in web design through tables and Cascading Style Sheets and the more free form environment afforded by the use of Flash.

THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT
Find an example of a grid system being used in print or on the web. You examples can come from magazines, web sites or newspapers... THEN, write about it by answering the fol questions:

1. Discuss the grid system in place. How well do the designs work within the boundaries, or even by breaking boundaries of the grid?
2. How does the grid in your example aid the reader or user?
3. Does it engage them with its structure or lack thereof?
4. Does it cause tension, either positive or negative?

Attach screen shots, links or images in order to help illustrate your example.

Screen capture on a MAC:
Apple Key + Shift + 3

Screen capture on a PC:
Hit the "Print Screen" button (usually found on the top right of the keyboard);

CITATION: The inspiration and content for this post is borrowed heavily from a similar assignment given by Prof. Greg Hedges in GRA 617.

Week 9 | Staponkute

Design Strategy:

I wanted this logo to be simple, warm and playful - representing me and the features I have. I chose warm colors since it would represent a friendly person. Dark red would explain my courage and stability while orange/yelllow would show my energy for the things I do.

Choice of typefaces:

For my logo, I chose Arnold Beocklin Std because I thought it is modern, brought vitality and went well with the visual. For the visual itself, I chose S’s of Myriad Pro because they both together made a nice liason. For some extra information at the buttom of stationery, on an envelope and business card, I used ITC Bookman Std because this

typeface is easy to read which is necessary for accurate contact information. Since I am international and my name is usually mispelled (instead of Ieva they say Leva), so I decided to use small caps to avoid the confussion.

Visuals:

For the logo mark I used 2 S’s. By using reflection tool under Object, I made one S reflect the other so these both consequently formed a shape. In order to emhasize the structure and first letter of my last name I made colors of each letter different. It also brings vitality to the whole logo. The visual might be perceived as a tulip, as a person or just as a simple “i”. If a flower, I should be perceived as a person striking for personal growth and improvement. If perceived as a figure, arms up in the air and wide open could explain that I am open for novelties in my life and enjoying it. I also used feather affect to make visual soft and feminine.